Football icon Lionel Messi’s much-hyped “GOAT Tour of India” began in Kolkata on Saturday but was marred by chaos and mismanagement at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan, forcing the event to be cut short amid fan unrest.

Messi virtually unveiled a 70-foot statue of himself earlier in the day, marking the start of his three-day India tour. The statue, installed by the Sree Bhumi Sporting Club at Lake Town, shows the Argentine great holding the FIFA World Cup trophy and is the first of its kind in India.

However, moments after Messi appeared at the Salt Lake Stadium, the situation spiralled out of control as angry fans protested over alleged mismanagement and lack of access. Visuals showed vandalism inside the stadium, while security personnel rushed to escort Messi out as tensions rose.

As a result, several scheduled activities were curtailed. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, who were expected to attend the programme, could not take part after the event was abruptly ended.

Promoter Satadru Datta and security officials whisked Messi away from the venue as fans shouted slogans and expressed frustration, calling the situation an “absolute disgrace” and blaming poor planning.

Earlier in the day, Messi met Shah Rukh Khan and industrialist Sanjiv Goenka and expressed happiness over the statue, according to state minister Sujit Bose, who said Messi and his team had approved the installation.

Messi arrived in Kolkata on Saturday morning and is scheduled to leave for Hyderabad in the evening, where he is set to take part in a football clinic and a celebrity match. The India tour will continue in Mumbai on December 14 and conclude in New Delhi on December 15.

Despite the disorder in Kolkata, organisers said the remaining legs of the tour would go ahead as planned under tighter security arrangements.

With inputs from NDTV